Running (and lifting) while fasting...

I'm a Muslim and part of my faith is to fast in the month of Ramadan.  Fasting entails abstinence from food and drink from pre-dawn (that first crack of light) to sunset.

Ramadan began on August 1, 2011 and I've been fasting every day.  I've also been running and lifting.  It hasn't been easy, but it isn't as hard as some folks might think.

In the early days I tried two strategies.  The first was to workout just before sunset (usually 1 to 2 hours before).  The idea was to limit the time between the end of the workout and the time when I can eat and drink.  This strategy worked.  I did it this way for a few days.

After the first few days of Ramadan I tried strategy #2 which involved working out after I broke my daily fast.  This was a disaster.  I tried to eat enough to energize myself but not so much that I would feel bloated.  I found that once I ate something and started hydrating, I was too tired to work out.

If I were alone, strategy #2 may have worked, but I am blessed with a wonderful family.  The breaking of the fast is a communal time followed by a prayer.  By the time I finished up with these obligations it was already 9:30pm.  I had to be up by 3:30am to eat before that first crack of dawn so working out after 9:30pm would leave too little time for sleep.

Strategy #1 - working out just before the breaking of the fast each night - was formally adopted as the way to go.  After work I either go home, change into some workout clothes and hit the road or I get home and head straight to gym.

I feel good.  Normally I get very sluggish in Ramadan.  This year, in addition to the running and lifting, I've been very particular about my eating.  I've definitely indulged in some rich foods at special gatherings with family and friends, but mostly I've stuck to veggies, quinoa, lean meats and my protein + fruit smoothies made with unsweetened almond milk.

This Ramadan I'm not just running my usual 12 miles per week.  I set goal of 80 miles for Ramadan (it's part of a fundraising effort for orphans in India).  That's considerably more miles than I normally run.  It turns out to be 40 miles per week.

As much as I'd like to sound nonchalant about it, the truth is that running the additional miles every week is challenging!  I've been experiencing soreness more than in other months because currently I'm running almost everyday.  I have to because I don't really want to try running longer distances while I'm fasting.  The longest I've gone is 5 miles.  The trade off to running fewer miles at a time is that I need to run 6 or even 7 days per week.

In addition to the running, I've also continued to lift weights.  It's not as often as before Ramadan, however.  During the first two weeks of Ramadan I lifted twice each week.  I think that's about what I expect to do this week and next week as well.

I'm glad I pushed myself to workout this Ramadan.  No excuses!